Abstract:
Despite increasing number of studies on evaluation of sustainable neighbourhoods and urban
forms, only a few have paid attention to the identification of the components that influence the
degree of inhabitants' gratification. A neighbourhood is a built entity that lays the experiences of
daily lives of a group of inhabitants in an identifiable geographical space. The neighbourhood
sustainability is the process of nurturing its environment to support and meet both economic and
social needs of its inhabitants. A sustainable neighbourhood should ensure the desired quality of
life and satisfaction of the inhabitants by intertwining the local; social, cultural, environmental,
and economic facets enabling its sustenance as an appealing place to live. However, observations
show that most neighbourhoods in the context of Southeast Asia poorly addressing this need.
‘Urban Form’ of such neighbourhoods is the physical manifestation, expressing respective
sustainability appeal sensed by the inhabitants. This is the intangible, significant finding,
demonstrated in the physical design. This study attempts to explore the determinants of Urban
Form that contribute to the Neighbourhood Sustainability for the inhabitants’ appeal.
Specific intent of the research is to conduct a detailed investigation on the urban form of three
urban residential neighbourhoods of Colombo, selected from the city core, intermediate city, and
outer city. While it examines the degree of inhabitants’ appeal based on their evaluations, it
assesses the neighbourhood sustainability under the three main sustainability parameters:
environmental, social, and economic facets. Physical and non-physical attributes of the
neighbourhood form, such as density, layout, land-use, connectivity, transport infrastructure,
building typology and architectural character, were investigated by using secondary data.
Structured interviews were carried out with thirty-five inhabitants; household representations, in
each neighbourhood to ascertain inhabitants’ perception while physical observations were made
to identify the deterministic attributes.
This research develops an integrated approach recognizing the fact that environmental, social, and
economic goals in appealing neighbourhoods are often mutually reinforced with the urban form
of a neighbourhood. It recognizes the physical and non-physical attributes of the urban form of
a neighbourhood and each of their contribution in fostering sustainability to create an appealing
environment for its inhabitants. Consequently, it establishes an overall sustainability rating on
the inhabitants’ perception and validates through case studies with reference to the attributes of
urban form. This leads to formulate the requisites of an exemplary urban form; verbalizing its
attributes that are determining the sustainability of neighbourhoods.
Citation:
Wijesundara, G.W.J.K.K. (2021). Attributes of urban form fostering sustainability : an analysis of residential neighbourhoods in Colombo, Sri Lanka [Doctoral dissertation, University of Moratuwa]. Institutional Repository University of Moratuwa. http://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/21180